During recent years mascara has become an important make-up accessory. Numerous applicators and application systems have been designed to apply mascara for increasing curl, color and length of the eyelashes. However, some applicators do not properly apply the mascara causing a build-up of excessive amounts of mascara on the lashes. This can cause the lashes to stick together, resulting in an unnatural lash appearance. Quite often the eyelashes are merely pushed back and clumped, they are not combed, uniformly coated or separated. As a result, the user may be required to redistribute the mascara and separate the lashes in order to obtain the desired natural lash appearance.
The present invention provides for a mascara applicator which uniformly and evenly applies mascara, while simultaneously separating and combing the eyelashes. The mascara applicator of the present invention employs alternating rows of long and short bristles. The rows of short bristles apply the mascara while the rows of long bristles simultaneously comb and separate the eyelashes.
The present invention can be more formally stated as a mascara applicator for applying fluent mascara, that comprises an elongated shaft having brush and handle portions, and a reservoir for holding a supply of the mascara which is deposited on the brush portion when the brush is dipped therein. The reservoir has an orifice or wiper for metering the mascara deposited on the brush portion. A cooperating cover member which is part of the handle portion removably engages with said reservoir member for closing said orifice opening. The brush contains bristles of which approximately 10-50% are long bristles of about 0.125 inches to 0.350 inches in length and approximately 50-90% are short bristles of about 0.125 inches to 0.185 inches in length. The long bristles are grouped in sets that radially and spirally extend from about 20.degree. to 75.degree. around said shaft. The sets of long bristles are alternately spaced between said sets of short bristles to form from 3 to 8 rows of long bristles (preferably 6 rows) and from 3 to 8 rows of short bristles (preferably 6 rows).